Snakebites!

It’s that time again. No, not the time when we stop on the side of the road to take pictures with the wildflowers; the time when snakes start to come out and start an all out war with our four-legged friends. Ok, so maybe it’s not a war, but it feels that way to me. Today, I admitted my second snake-bite dog of the season. The old saying is “Curiosity killed the cat,” but let me assure you, dogs are naturally curious as well. Dogs will go inspect the slithering and sometimes rattling serpents. Most dogs are usually bit on the face or the legs. In severe cases, they pick up the snake and are bitten on the mouth. While I have NEVER seen a feline victim of a snake-bite, it can certainly happen as well.

Pit-vipers (rattlesnake, copperheads, and cottonmouths) are the largest group of venomous snakes in the United States and are involved in about 150,000 dog and cat bites annually. The most toxic venom of this group is the rattlesnake, followed by the cottonmouth, then the least toxic being the copperhead. Coral snakes are also venomous, but they have to chew on their prey. This factor decreases the bites to domestic animals. Several factors can affect the severity of a snake bite: the size of your pet, the location of the bite, post-bite excitability, the amount of venom injected, and the relative age and size of the snake (younger snakes tend to use more venom than older\larger snakes).

The main thing to think about when your pet has been bit is to STAY CALM. You are not as helpful to your pet if you panic. If possible, try to get a look at the snake, but DO NOT GET BIT yourself. First aid for a snake bite is to head to an emergency clinic ASAP! DO NOT apply a tourniquet, DO NOT try to suck the venom out of the wound, and DO NOT try to cut open the wound – this will make the situation worse! A tourniquet concentrates the venom and increases the potential damage, attempting to suck out the venom delays the time before proper treatment can be administered, and cutting open the wound creates a new emergency for your vet.

If you do not see your pet being bitten, the main sign of an envenomation (i.e. venomous bite) is severe swelling and pain at the bite location. Often, you can see two small puncture wounds at the bite site.

At the emergency room, treatment will be started immediately. They will check your pet’s clotting times (how well the blood is able to coagulate), check the red blood cells for signs of envenomation, and check liver and kidney function. Anti-venin is a wonderful product that can be lifesaving. Plasma can also be used to help correct abnormalities with clotting times.

My first snakebite dog of the season is doing well. (I would stress what the owner did right – The owner brought the dog in immediately, called ahead and notified us of a potential snake-bite, etc.) I have posted a picture so you can see what severe facial swelling looks like.

Spring is a wonderful time in Texas, but beware that we have all three families of venomous snakes here.

Dr. Samantha Yeltatzie

2 Responses

Thanks for mentioning the vaccine. There is a rattlesnake vaccine that is available. It will help prevent the severity of the bite and decrease mortality related to rattlesnake bites. The vaccine does require frequent boosters! Ask your primary care veterinarian if you have any questions in general about the rattlesnake vaccine.

I’m wondering why you didn’t mention that there is a vaccine available. I have been vaccinating my dogs for rattlesnake bites for several years. You still need to take the dog if it is bitten but the costs and damage to tissue wil both be much reduced.

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